Scirocco Register

Afternoon all.

I'm planning on doing the second annual oil change at the end of the month, and I'm thinking about possibly changing things around a little. I've been using 10W40 Magnatec oil since the last change (just after winter), and recently I've noticed the tappets are a little noisy and the engine temperature's getting a bit high on long runs.

Having looked around at other threads, I gather that switching over to 15W50 viscosity might help with both these things. I can't seem to find Quantum 15W50 anywhere though... the only brand I can find that's reasonably priced is Valvoline: http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-a ... &0&cc5_776

Sooo, some questions:

1. Is switching to 15W50 likely to solve the problems I mentioned above?
2. Is 15W50 going to be ok for winter driving?
3. Is Valvoline a reasonable brand to be going for?

And finally...

4. Are the noisy tappets likely to be due to low oil pressure? I'm constantly paranoid about this, and I keep meaning to hook up an oil pressure gauge to check, but the engine recently clicked round to 150k. The oil pressure light's not coming on at all, and it goes out very quickly when the car's started... Any possibility? Or is this just likely to be worn tappets?

Thanks ;)

Have a look at my comments on MacColl`s question about "Oil pick up------"

I can`t remember where I picked up the tip of using ATF as a flushing agent but it worked OK on mine recently, at least a lot of the "clatter" on start up has gone. Hydraulic tappets can gum up which makes them slow to pump up - although there will always be some noise on start up till the press. builds up in the tappet and reduces the clearance. If after flushing the noise persists when the engine is warm, it`s time to look for wear somewhere or possibly replace the tappets.

So, the answer to your questions is:

1. No to the noise for the above reasons and No to the temp. increase since if you have clean oil up to the level this should not be a factor. If anything, using thicker oil will up the temps. since there is more and heavier oil spray thrashing around in the sump area and being smashed into by a giant egg beater (the crank at 000`s of rpm). Why do race cars use dry sumps - think about it!. There is a lot of cr_p talked about oil because in modern engines the build quality is so good that you just don`t need "Lyles Golden Syrup" to take up iffy clearances like you did in the past. If the engine is worn it will smoke or rattle like a bag of hammers, if it aint - keep going! Check your oil consumption, that`s usually a good indicator.
Changing semi/full synthetic twice a year is way overkill - that`s my kind of preventative maintenance.

2. 15/50 is a "little" thick for English Winters - OK for Califonia in an Aug. freeway jam.
Use the "Winter" option, that way your starter might just turn her over

3. I`ve used loads of Valvoline in the past and it`s OK by me. TBH if your changing your oil twice a year I`d go for the cheapest branded semi/full synthetic you can find - it will be so over spec. for most engines that it`s not an issue. Clean and fresh are the key words here.

4. As above. Also, you could try cranking up the sounds - that way you wont notice the noises - at least that`s what my ex-partner recons!

Hope this helps, John

Great advice, thanks! I think I'll stick with the 10W40, but I'm starting to suspect that Magnatec is a load of balls, so I think I'll probably go with Quantum, since it's considerably cheaper.

I have flushed the engine with ATF before (about a year and a half ago I believe), and it did quieten the tappets down a bit - they've just become a bit more noticeable recently. Fingers crossed a good cleanout will help - if not, new tappets will be going in.

Out of interest, you mention "looking for other wear" - what sort of wear could cause the tappets to be noisy other than the tappets themselves?

I have a feeling over on the clubgti site there is a thread showing how to strip and overhaul hydraulic tappets perhaps worth having a search for it

I did have a look through that a while back, and gave it a go - unfortunately I couldn't disassemble the damn things. Not sure why - possibly they were a different type.

I'd try an ATF flush and oil change. I'd use Quantum Silver in preference to Magnatec too. No substitute for hooking up the oil pressure gauge though - even if you just bodge the wiring with tape temporarily to check your engine. If you've got 1 bar or more at hot idle you should be OK.

Cheers Mike - I really need to source a gauge and sender, but money's a bit tight at the moment (as always!). Need to find a second hand unit soon. In the meantime, ATF it is!